


Making Headlines

by Hekate1308



Series: The Home We've Made [13]
Category: Supernatural
Genre: Inspired by Addams Family, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-18
Updated: 2018-04-18
Packaged: 2019-04-24 13:57:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,015
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14356908
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Hekate1308/pseuds/Hekate1308
Summary: Sometimes, you find a family while looking for something else.





	Making Headlines

“I think this would be an excellent idea“ she explains with more patience than she actually feels. “Many people are wondering what exactly draws others towards the monsters and their life style. A piece on the suburban community they founded would draw a lot of interest.”

“If you think so, Bela” her boss replies, clearly bored out of his mind.

She all but storms out of his office. She knows a good story when she sees one, and this one could be excellent.

_She only found out about the community per accident – literally. Her car happened to blow a tire not far away from Dean Winchester’s shop, and she quickly made her way there as soon as she saw the sign._

_While she was aware that there were several supernatural creatures living nearby – a few rumours had made his way to her desk in the past few years – she was still not prepared for what she found._

_As it turned out, she stumbled into the owner’s lunch hour, which he shared with his husband._

_The husband who was very  -_

_Very –_

_She snapped out of it just as the siren got up. “I’m so sorry. I thought we’d locked the door.”_

_“It’s no problem” she assured him. “It’s just – one of my tires just blew and –“_

_“Oh, that’s fixed soon enough” the human (at least she thought so) answered as he stood up. “Excuse me for a moment, sunshine.”_

_As he kissed his husband, Bela knew she’d found a good story._

Ever since that day, she’s been hooked. Even with monsters being recognized citizens, very few reporters have ever bothered to talk about them. But why shouldn’t they? More importantly, why shouldn’t she?

Her research has shown her that Castiel Winchester gives talks at schools, so they definitely want to be seen and spoken to.

And so she resolutely makes her way to the suburbs one afternoon.

It’s high time the public learns monsters aren’t dangerous, anyway.

She should know. She’s encountered human monsters. Give her a supernatural entity any day.

Soon after she’s found the right street, a red-haired woman accosts her. “Looking for something, dearie?”

Bela knows a warning when she hears one. “Yes” she says simply, “I’m a reporter with the Kansas Magazine, and I’d like to conduct an interview with Dean Winchester and his husband.”

Her eyes narrow. “Why?”

“Inter-species relationships. Always interesting” she says smoothly.

“And what do you hope to achieve?”

She shrugs her shoulders. “To reach more readers, mostly. And quite frankly, I have seen the world of humans – how bad can monsters be?”

“Ah” she says, and Bela has the feeling that she knows more than she’s comfortable with. “Then you do indeed wish to speak to Dean and Cas. The house over there – next to my son’s” she says with pride.

Bela looks at her and wonders what she is, exactly. She’s read up on all the different characteristics of monsters, of course, but there are many who look just like humans.

She seems to realize what she’s thinking, since she suddenly leans towards her, bops her nose and says “Abracadabra”.

Before she understand what’s happening, she’s hovering about two feet high in the air.

“Just a demonstration. Remember what I can do.”

She winks at her, brings her back down to earth and leaves.

If Bela was scared easily, she’d leave now, but she’s never been that.

She rings the bell.

It’s Castiel who opens. He frowns. “Miss Talbot, is everything alright with your –“

“My car is functioning perfectly, thank you” she says. “May I come in? I have an offer I am rather sure you cannot refuse.”

He frowns but steps aside.

Mission accomplished.

* * *

Or so she thinks.

She’s only come so far as to explain that she’s planning to write an article about the monster community when the demon shows up.

“Hello, boys. Heard you had a visitor.”

His eyes are blood red and he grins somewhat maniacally as he waves at her. She takes a deep breath and forces herself to stay calm. She has met enough evil from humans; one demon isn’t enough to scare her.

“Bela Talbot” she introduces herself. He raises an eyebrow.

“An actually respectable reporter? And one who’s seeking for attention at the same time? Of course you found your way here.”

“Crowley” Dean says.

“What? I am just pointing out to this young lady that I don’t like to see my family being used…”

“Family?” she asks, baffled. Being neighbours with a demon is one thing, but family?

Dean sighs, then explains, “To keep it short, Crowley was dying, we had to perform a ritual so he wouldn’t, and now we’re all officially one big happy family according to demon tradition. You sure you still want to hang around?”

She nods. She needs a big story, and she won’t flee now that she’s found one simply because monsters seem to have original interpretations when it comes to certain words. Like family.

Family never meant anything good to her anyway.

“Alright, then. What would this deal of yours entail?” Crowley asks, sitting down as if he belongs there (and he probably does, considering the story with the ritual, she realizes). “I’m somewhat of an expert when it comes to deals, you know.”

“He really is. You could say it’s kind of what demons do” Dean says.

She tells them.

* * *

Castiel – or Cas, as Dean calls him – seems cautious. “Yes, I go to schools and tell children about us, hoping to do away with some of the prejudices that still haunt us, but are you sure an article would be the right thing?”

“If it is well researched and impeccably written yes, and it will be” she says matter-of-factly.

“And of course it would be when you are writing it?” Dean asks. There’s something in his eyes she doesn’t like, something that looks a little too much like understanding, and she’s never wanted that.

“Naturally.”

“Okay, but I’ll speak to our lawyer first.”

“You have your own –“

“My brother. He’s the best” Dean says proudly.

She nods. “That’s only fair.”

“Good, then. We’ll be in touch.”

“And in case you are planning anything” Crowley loudly announces, “I’ll be in touch. And you don’t want that.”

“Crowley –“

“It’s quite alright” she hastens to say, “I know when I’ve overstayed my welcome.”

But she has an in.

Now all she has to do is get the story.

* * *

Getting the story doesn’t prove as easy as she thought it would.

Sam Winchester, when she meets him for lunch, is polite but clearly sceptical; as a matter of fact, he has printed out several of her old articles. “It seems to me that you are rather fond of a… dramatic style of storytelling, and we don’t want that. We want people to see that monsters have feelings too, that they are people.”

“Drama always sells. But in this case, it wouldn’t be necessary. People are going to read anything as long as it’s got monsters in the title.”

“So you are interested in a faithful portrayal?”

“Oh yes, I…” she trails off when she sees several women in long dresses and coats enter the restaurant.

Sam turns around. “Oh, those are selkies. Never go anywhere without their coats.”

“I have been here more than once, and I’ve never seen a single monster.”

“Oh, that’s me” Sam says matter-of-factly. “Didn’t Dean tell you what might happen if you stick around for too long?”

“No?”

“Just as you can get used to magic, the magic can get used to you. One day you’re living your normal life, the next a hobgoblin is going through your sock drawer.”

She stares at him. He shrugs. “Like I said, one gets used to it.”

“And how will I know when it happens?”

“Trust me, the signs are obvious.”

* * *

She does her piece anyway, after a few negotiations, Cas being especially adamant that they are represented exactly as they are.

Within days, she runs into a very specific problem.

Humans, Bela knows and mostly despises. Humans are annoying at best and cruel at worst – she’s known that since she was a child.

But monsters?

True, it undoubtedly also has to do with them wanting to look their best in her article, but –

They aren all so nice to her.

Even Crowley eventually greets her friendly, because, as he says, he appreciates “anyone who tries to make a quick buck”.

Dean and Cas are always ready to answer any questions, and they are so smitten with one another it’s not even funny. She believes the siren when he explains he hasn’t felt hunger in years; he’ll never feel it again if Dean has any say in the matter, that much is obvious.

Sam stays over so often he’s beginning to wonder why he has his own apartment in the first place.

Crowley zaps in at all times of the day and indeed has the carte blanche when it comes to Dean and Cas’ house; she soon learns to respect, even to like him, although he is a demon.

Soon enough, she learns that he came close to death a while ago because he chose to live amongst humans and monsters instead of his own kind, and when she asks him why, he sighs. “Is it really that difficult to understand why I’d rather be here? Because it seems to me it should be obvious.”

And that’s the frustrating thing.

With Charlie and Gilda dragging her off to “girls night” which in their case means dealing with a pixie nest in their garden, Rowena showing her the best herbs against her “monthly plague pain” as she calls it, Dean and Cas being the very openly beloved leaders of their little community but still always making time for her…

She’s starting to like the all a great deal.

And Bela Talbot doesn’t like others. She doesn’t. She hasn’t since she was a girl, and fro a very good reason.

* * *

Just like Sam predicted, magic starts creeping into her everyday life. First it’s just little things; monsters frequenting her usual restaurants, the plant she keeps on her desk in her office blooming for the very first time, a few bird flying by her window every morning and singing.

Then it gets worse. She bumps into hobgoblins and pixies, one even shows up at her work place, and she realizes she has to make a decision.

Live this normal life she’s fought so hard for, even though it hasn’t brought her much happiness, or join those most people still think of as freaks?

The article is almost done anyway.

* * *

The article is a success; within two weeks she has received job offers from other, larger news agencies and her editor is fighting to keep her.

She decides to become a freelancer. She’s thought about it from time to time, and this has finally given her enough of a reputation to do it. True, she’ll have to travel and work a lot, but it’s what she’s always wanted.

She invites Dean and Cas to dinner to celebrate.

“Have to say, it was a good article. And brought even more clients into my shop” Dean says.

“I am glad to hear it.” And to her surprise, she actually is.

Dean chuckles. “Bet you’re happy your life’s going to go back to normal.”

“It can be somewhat… shocking to suddenly find oneself closely linked to the supernatural” Cas supplies.

Right, she suddenly realizes with a sinking heart. This could well be the last time she sees any of them.

She’s still pondering that when Dean says, “You’re gonna travel a lot, right? So you’ll probably put your things in storage somewhere.”

“Likely, yes.”

“Just saying – but if you ever want a home base again, you might want to check the real estate around our place. Good prizes, and the neighbours are supposed to be pretty nice.”

She knows what this would mean, of course.

A lifetime of monsters. Real monsters.

Who have been far kinder to her than humans ever were.

She nods. “I’ll think about it.”


End file.
